


you taste like home

by ibuiltthesunforyou



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F, Lots of cuddles, Post-Canon, and beans, catra realizes she needs a little bit of therapy, catradora, catradora fluff, hah adora - tion, lots of gay metaphors and adoration, old berries, this is just pure fluff its ridiculous
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:20:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25146109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ibuiltthesunforyou/pseuds/ibuiltthesunforyou
Summary: when her eyes open, adora’s there. still there, unwavering in the way she’s staring at catra like all those new stars outside in the sky were hung up by catra herself. with a smile that looks like hope, and always has to the girl who has only ever known adora and chaos.orcatra gets really worked up over all the new things in their lives and how much she missed. adora makes it better.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 233





	you taste like home

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really messed up about CatrAdora and wrote this all in one sitting

It had started with just one word. 

Okay, maybe five or six, but Catra wasn’t exactly keen on breaking down the words that had started a little bit of a meltdown. 

_ “Elderberry or blackberry tea, Adora?” _

The words hadn’t even been spoken to her. Just near her. And everything had gone on as normal, as her world had stood a little bit still. 

From then on, every little thing hit her like a droid. Quick, fast, and knocking the breath out of her. 

When Glimmer wordlessly, effortlessly grabbed a dish for Adora for breakfast with all the foods she’d wanted when the blonde was taking a little longer to resemble the living. 

When Bow came back from an afternoon stroll with a few flowers for Adora and Glimmer, with specific selections for each. 

Every minute detail had her digging her claws into her hands until there were indentions that were dangerously close to breaking her skin. 

It all really came to a head when she found herself staring up at the ceiling from the foot of Adora’s — well, _ their _ bed now, and saw the light start to stream into the room. She couldn’t lose  _ anymore _ sleep over this. She had to do something. Even if doing something might include admitting weakness. Whether that was character growth, or sleep deprivation, she really couldn’t tell. 

She’s pushing up, tucking her legs under her and reaching out her hands, shaking Adora unceremoniously. “Dora.” Catra says, with no real thought that it is barely morning. She’s never been one to think all that much before doing, at least, other than in battle. 

When Adora just makes a little snore into the air, hand twitching at her side before falling open. Catra narrows her eyes. Her fingers reach up, tucking under Adora’s shirt and gently letting her claws graze the girl’s taut abdomen.   
  
“Hey Adora?” She drawls out slowly, low, and raspy.    
  
And blue eyes have never opened so quickly. 

Any other time, Catra might’ve smirked, but she’s really not able to let her mind linger on anything else. It’s all starting to make her mind feel like a swirling tornado, catching at the edges of her head with a light tension headache.    
  
“Hmm, uh.” Adora starts as she pushes up to her elbows, voice tired and a little slurred. Her blue eyes shine in the light rosy tones of the light pressing through the window. “Yeah?” She clears her throat, cutting through the light husk from knocking out like a light. 

Ever since Catra was  _ back _ , Adora found herself sleeping heavily and deeply. Like her body was trying to make up for lost time. Lost time where she should’ve been sleeping with Catra at the edge of her bed. Catra found that out, in a whispered, almost mumbled thought in the middle of the night, with Adora’s arms locked around her. 

“I don’t know what tea you like. Or really, what tea is.” It comes out quick, and in a rush, like it’s been sitting at the bottom of Catra’s throat and escaped as soon as it had the chance. Her tail is flickering with a slightly frenzied movement, and when she catches it out of the corner of her eye, she tucks it against her leg. 

To Adora’s credit, she absorbs most of it. Even if she’s staring blankly at her girlfriend for a few long moments, blinking slowly. “Tea.” She says softly, like saying the word may clear it up. But it doesn’t. “Okay,” Adora breathes, pushing to sit up, hands raising to rub against her eyes. “I may just be tired, but I’m gonna need a little more.” Blue eyes flicker over Catra’s face, and really, Catra has to admit she looks adorable. She doesn’t like using that adjective, because it feels dangerously close to a pun Scorpia would, and probably has made — but sometimes Adora is just, really adorable. All flushed cheeks, and hooded blue eyes, and the slightest hint of a pillow impression across her cheek. But she couldn’t stop now, she wasn’t sure her mind would let her even if she tried. 

“I knew everything about you.” She says, and she’s about to list off all of them, like achievements, like prizes to be won, but it feels hollow, as she settles for something else. “But I don’t. Not anymore.” It feels like a loss, and it shows in her voice, in the way her eyebrows are furrowed across her forehead, and the way her bicolored eyes shine with something akin to defeat. “All of this,” She doesn’t bother to gesture towards the space around them, because it’s broader than that. It’s the whole world Catra hadn’t even known existed. Her eyes fall to her hands, and she suddenly doesn’t feel urgent. She just feels like she’s open, and exposed. “It’s all new. It’s like an entirely new scene, and you had all this time here when all I knew about was your battle strategies. But you weren’t just training. You were learning all this new stuff, like teas, and fricking finger sandwiches, and cucumbers — which make me want to climb a wall by the way, but...” She trails off, swallowing. Catra doesn’t remember the last time she’d been lost for words, and she’s looking up at Adora, like the sight might inspire something coherent. “I’ve always known you. I’ve always been able to know what you need, what you’re going to do. It’s something I was good at.”

That last sentence almost makes her breath catch, because she’s realizing as she’s speaking, that she didn’t even realize it. All of this is coming out in buried fragments, and she thinks vaguely, that she might need to take up Perfuma on her offer to meditate because it seems like her mind is a lot more of a mess than she thought. 

She was  _ good _ at Adora. She was her favorite subject. It was what made fighting her, even with the dark and twisty feelings of being utterly left behind, feel so  **right** . She excelled at it, because it was like she’d been training her entire life for it. It was an excuse to shove all of her feelings away towards, a violent excuse for why she had retained every single thing about the girl who she had no memory of ever being without. 

But now there was no fighting. There was peace in their lives, and war in Catra’s head. 

Adora seems to be able to shake away her tiredness as she listens, always with those too  _ big _ , too _ loving, _ too **_everything_ ** blue eyes. She lets the words hang in the air, waiting for more, seemingly an endless void for Catra to scream into until she tired herself out. But no more words come, and Catra feels a buzzing in her gut that feels more like bees than butterflies. 

“Catra.” Comes soft, and warm, like Adora’s voice was catching at the kindling in Catra’s very soul, lighting up controlled burns. “You might not know my favorite tea — but you still know **me** .” 

Adora scoots herself down the bed until she’s in front of her girlfriend, hands reaching to take Catra’s fingers in hers, not even flinching when her claws graze her skin. “All that stuff it’s just.. debris.” 

Her eyes are moving over Catra’s face again, and it’s **always** close to intimidating how Adora looks at her. Like she’s looking _ through  _ her, like she can see everything. “I don’t know everything about…” Catra can see her jaw seize and watches her lips press together, the vague shift of her throat as she swallows. “When I was gone. I missed stuff too. But, I still know you. I know all the important stuff.” A shy, soft smile pulls at the edge of her lips as she pulls up one of Catra’s hands, pressing it against her cheek before she turns to press a solitary kiss to the side of it. 

“This stuff, it’s all cool. New foods, new ideas. They have horses, which I think is ins-” Catra’s glare seems to cut her off before she keeps going, but it softens almost immediately as Adora’s light laugh presses through the room, bringing light into Catra’s very veins with it. “Point is, it’s cool. But it’s just stuff. Who we are.. What we are, is all still the same. You can catch up on all this,  _ with  _ me.” 

Catra doesn’t know there’s tears on her cheeks until a slightly rushed hand comes up to her face, brushing them off of her skin with a tenderness she’s certain she won’t ever be able to get used to. The urge to push away is strong, but not as strong as how safe Adora makes her feel. The way _ Adora  _ has always made her feel. There has never been a time in her life, until the rebellion, that Adora hadn’t wiped her tears away, and made her believe that there was a chance things would be okay. And there’s no rebellion now. They’re on the same side, they’re together. They are in love in peace time, with all the time in the world. 

So instead of pulling away, she presses into Adora’s hand. She revels in its softness, in the way it curls slightly more around her cheek when she accepts it. 

She closes her eyes, letting out a watery laugh as she brings a hand up to press around Adora’s wrist, kneading slightly into the soft skin. “Does that big ol’ sword come with a pep talk book or somethin’?” 

When her eyes open, Adora’s there. Still there, unwavering in the way she’s staring at Catra like all those new stars outside in the sky were hung up by Catra herself. With a smile that looks like hope, and always has to the girl who has only ever known Adora and chaos. 

“I love you, Catra.” 

“You really do, don’t you?” They’re meant to be joking, trying to lighten a moment that’s heavy enough to drop Catra’s heart in her stomach. But they come out reverent. 

Adora’s shifting to move closer, but Catra beats her to closing the space between them when she presses up on her knees, making a quick, easy movement to press her knees on either side of Adora’s hips. “I love you too.” She lets out when her hands settle on Adora’s shoulders and she feels the blonde’s hands twine together behind her back. 

“That’s good, otherwise this would be pretty awkward.” The dorky smile on Adora’s lips makes Catra let out a snorting laugh. 

“You’re such an idiot.” She presses out, leaning down to catch Adora’s lips in a sweet kiss. 

It tastes like home. 

Like the home they made whenever they were together. Because the Horde had never been their home. What made it home, was what they made together. Maybe, during meditations, or something like therapy, Catra would voice that. About how when Adora left, she took every ounce of home with her. 

“Yeah.” Comes Adora’s rumbling reply against her lips, breath warm. “But I got a big sword, and a pretty beautiful girl, so I think I’m doing pretty good for an idiot.” 

Their foreheads press together as Catra’s fingers stray, catching in Adora’s hair where it falls freely down her shoulders, curling her knuckles against the girl’s cheek. Her body starts to feel heavy as the anxiety drains away, especially when Adora leans up the slightest bit, and kisses her with a softness that makes it feel like all the gravity in the room is gone, and she’s floating, held down to Etheria just by Adora’s arms holding her. 

She doesn’t even realize the girl has laid back, and taken Catra with her until they pull back, and the tingling in her lips is interrupted by the realization of the new angle, toes stretching out against the sheets as their legs tangle.

A light purr rumbles through her as she feels Adora’s fingers press under her shirt, scratching soothingly along her back in the way she knew had to be purposeful. But it’s a good strategy, Catra has to admit, as she lets herself shift so she can rest her head on Adora’s shoulder. 

As the room gets brighter, Catra finds herself slowly fall into sleep, and she assumes from the silence, and the soft rise and fall of Adora’s chest that she’s been asleep. But her words chip through Catra’s sleepy haze. 

“Tea’s just leaves.” 

Catra’s arm tucks across Adora’s chest lazily, propping up her chin as she tries to keep her eyes from falling shut. “What?” 

“Leaves. It’s just leaves. Sometimes fruit. They just throw water on it and it makes it taste different.” 

Catra stares at her blankly for a moment, before remembering what had started the entire conversation. She turns over the answer in her head for a second, eyes still blinking. “How do they know it’s not poison?”   
  


“Trial and error I guess.”    
  
“That seems kinda stupid.” 

“That’s what I said!” The exclamation comes out in a loud, incredulous whisper. 

A smile crooks across Catra’s cheek. “You may be an idiot sometimes,” She says, reaching her hand up to brush a few stray curls behind Adora’s ear. “But you’re  _ my _ idiot.” 

Now, if Adora purred, Catra is sure, 100%, she would be, from the dopey look on her face. 

She’s  **sure** . Because it’s Adora. And she knows Adora. She knows what’s _ important _ . That Adora loves her. And that she loves Adora. 

They may not be ruling Etheria like Catra had always dreamed of. But they were doing something much more sustainable. Much more constructive. Instead of tearing down towns, burning villages to the ground — they were building a life. They were building a future, each and every day they woke up and decided to love each other. 

“I love you  _ so _ much.” It comes out without any hesitation, warm on her lips, as the chaos stills under just how _ right _ everything about the moment feels. And when Adora’s hand comes up from her back to thread through her hair, and kisses her in a way that makes it wholly unnecessary for her to return the words, Catra doesn’t care about anything but staying right there, as long as she possibly could. 

…….

Catra’s very close to dozing off as she sits at the breakfast table, mostly because it’d only really been an hour of real sleep for her before Glimmer and Bow had all but kicked the door in. Those two were honestly so much more annoying than sleeping in a room with cadets. Because cadets understood _ inside _ voices. 

So she’s only half listening to Bow. Which is still an improvement, because usually, she just tunes him out. But her attention is pushed away by sensing motion at her side, and when Adora sits down, she gives up on the conversation entirely. 

Her eyes flicker down to the mugs hanging from Adora’s hands, carefully being set down on the table. There were four, which was strange, considering she was one person. Her appetite didn’t usually extend to her drink. “Couldn’t decide on one?” Catra asks, only a little bit mocking as she let out a laugh. 

Adora rolls her eyes, perfectly awake as she moves two of them in front of Catra. “Shut up.” She says, reaching for one of her own mugs. “The purple one is Elderberry, and the brown one is—”    
  
“Mud water?” 

Adora’s eyes narrow, and she almost manages a glare that doesn’t make her look like a puppy. Almost. “It’s not mud. It’s beans. Perfuma brought it, so I haven’t tried it either.” 

Catra furrowed her eyebrows, looking down at the mugs and impulsively sticking her finger in the brown liquid. She lets out a hiss at the heat, pulling her finger out quickly. 

When she looks over at her girlfriend, she’s just staring. “Why.” She breathes. “Why would you do that?” 

“I wanted to see the beans!” 

“You—” Adora stops, shaking her head. “There’s no beans, they’re just used to make it. Just try it. Try both.” 

Catra glances over at the mugs on Adora’s side, deciding to pick the one she was drinking. She brings it up to her lips, taking a precautionary sniff before hesitantly taking a sip. It’s a strange taste. Sweet, and bitter. Warm, but refreshing. 

When she brings it down, her fingers curl around the cup, both hands soaking up the heat that radiated off the sides. She looks at it for a few moments, before glancing up to her girlfriend. “S’ nice. Fancy, but nice.” 

Adora just smiles at her, and the warmth that presses through her at the taste makes it easy for her to quietly ask. “So, this is your favorite?” 

A pale hand reaches up from a mug, brushing softly along Catra’s short locks, running a calloused thumb over the shell of her ear. “No,” She says softly. “You’re my favorite. But elderberry is my favorite tea.” 

Catra rolls her eyes exgatterively at that, but the words carry down with her tea, warming her lips, her stomach, her bones. 

“Doesn’t elder mean old? So it’s just, old berries?”   
  
“Grandpa berries.”

“What’s a grandpa?”

Adora sets down her cup, reaching out a hand to grab a stray tablet, and proceeds to show Catra exactly what a grandpa is. She teaches her, and they drink their tea, and they simultaneously learn about the world together, and forget it exists all at the same.

Catra thinks as she takes another sip of tea that she wouldn’t mind being trapped in this moment forever. Even just in this room. Because when she had Adora? She had everything. 


End file.
